Urban Dance Squad was a Dutch rap rock band formed after what was originally intended as a one-time jam-session at a festival in Utrecht on December 20, 1986. Band members were rapper Rudeboy Remmington (Patrick Tilon), guitarist Tres Manos (René van Barneveld), bassist Sil (Silvano Matadin), drummer Magic Stick (Michel Schoots) and DJ DNA (DoNotAsk) (Arjen de Vreede). The band's music is described as a blend of genres, including hard rock, funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, jazz and ska and is often compared to that of Rage Against the Machine, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. They are widely known for their hit single "Deeper Shade Of Soul", which charted at number 21 in the United States on Billboard Hot 100.

In the middle of the band's career, to capitalize on the success of grunge and alternative rock, Urban Dance Squad released Persona Non Grata in January 1994. All of the tracks feature heavy use of distortion and guitar. In particular, the singles "No Honestly" and "Candy Strip Exp." were released. The latter single features a radio edit that cuts most of the pre-song noise.

Artantica saw release in 1999, and was a return to the band's hip-hop roots, and received critical acclaim.